Photos Of Two Children Engaged To Be Married Causes Outrage

A 12-year-old boy is set to marry his 11-year-old cousin after the groom-to-be's father gave the couple's engagement his blessing.

While celebrating his eldest son's wedding in Egypt, Nasser Hassan decided to “double the joy” by announcing that his son Omar would marry his cousin Gharam.

Egyptian laws prohibit official registration for marriages for anyone under the age of 18. However, according to UNICEF, 17 percent of Egyptian girls are married before the age of 18, with the majority of such unions taking place in rural areas.

A photo of the young couple - Omar in a suit, Gharam in a white dress wearing high heels and tiara - has sparked outrage and anger worldwide.

(Image: The Independent)

Reda Eldanbouki, the head of the Women's Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness, has reported the incident to the National Center for Childhood and Motherhood, a government agency. He also filed a complaint with the attorney general to investigate the incident and hold the parents accountable for this "crime," he said in a statement.

Omar’s father, faced with the backlash of his decision, defended the engagement, saying that "Omar has always loved Gharam so much that he used to say he will marry her when they grow up.”

He added that both children acted “beyond their years” and developed “strong feelings for each other” and “wanted to get engaged”.

“They will get married when they reach the legal age,” he insisted. “We have to protect them in their early years before they reach the age of deviation,” he told local newspapers.